Back to the end of Ming Dynasty to be a warlord

Chapter 56

After sending away the little cousin, the uncle sent the aunt away again, and asked the aunt to cut two taels of meat.

He was left alone in the living room, talking to his father, talking to his mother, and talking to Yang Chao with an excuse.

In a dark manner, Hu told all the old stories that had been circulated in the guard for who knows how many years, and they were all related to the army.

I also intentionally or unintentionally asked about the situation of Yang Chaoshui camp, how much the army was paid, whether there was any ground, and so on.

Yang Chao also answered honestly, saying that the army's salary was deducted a lot, and that there were tens of acres of vegetable gardens in the army camp.

My uncle is a little interested in this vegetable garden, saying that one mu of vegetables and ten mu of grain sells for 30 taels of silver, and it costs more than ten taels after digging labor.

This Yang Chao really never thought that the vegetable field really made so much money.

It's no wonder that Li Fu is willing to give himself three taels of silver every month as a filial piety. To him, this amount of money is a drop in the bucket.

Uncle rambled about, and finally found out Yang Chao's tone, and knew for sure that Yang Chao had just become an official and had no personal soldiers, so he laughed and started chatting with his father and mother, and ignored Yang Chao.

After a while, the little cousin ran back with a dejected look on his face.

"Father, the wine shop is busy, Caotou won't let anyone go, and even scolded me!"

The uncle didn't care about the little cousin's grievances, but instead cursed: "You are worthless, and you can't call anyone back. Your aunt is here, no matter how busy you are, you can't let her go. How long has your brother not seen your aunt and uncle? There are also aunts and cousins. Even my own brothers, if we haven't seen each other for a long time, we will be born."

The little cousin bowed his head and said, "Then they won't let him go, what can I do?"

Uncle Teng stood up: "I won't let you go, it's just that he was an apprentice in their family, and he sold it to their Zhou family!"

After saying that, he walked out: "I still don't believe it. The big deal is that I don't want to learn it anymore. It's not rare!"

The father hurriedly stood up and grabbed his uncle: "Forget it, big brother, that's what it is like to be an apprentice. When I was an apprentice with my father, I had to suffer so much, let alone apprenticeship with other people. That's the thing."

Uncle just sat down again, but his face was angry, and he chattered endlessly, pouring out bitter water.

The two sons, the eldest, Zhao An, and the second, Zhao Kang, had a hard time supporting them.

It was so easy to get older, and they had to marry two wives and build a house for one.

There was no way to send him to the Imperial Mausoleum to serve as a soldier, so the boss was admitted to the winery as an apprentice. He originally thought that he would leave the yard of his house to the younger one, and the couple would live with the younger one, so that the old man could learn his craft, take a daughter-in-law, and go away separately. single pass.

Finally, find an opportunity to send the youngest son to the imperial mausoleum as a mausoleum guard, so that the survival of the two people will be resolved.

But it's not easy for this apprentice, he was greedy from morning to night, the couple couldn't help feeling distressed.

Yang Chao suddenly stood up and walked over: "Uncle, ask my cousin to take me to Zhou's house, beg for a favor, and give my cousin a day's work."

The uncle said: "How can this be done? How can I ask my nephew to intercede. You are an official now, and your face is important."

Yang Chao said with a smile: "It is precisely because I am an official that I have to walk around more. In the future, meeting in officialdom is indispensable."

Uncle nodded: "Oh, this is a serious matter, so uncle won't stop you. Don't force him if he doesn't let you go, he hurt our face carefully."

Yang Chao nodded: "Understood."

Uncle asked his cousin to take Yang Chao there quickly.

The city of Zhou Baihu is not big, with a length of more than fifty feet from north to south, a width of more than forty feet from east to west, a circumference of 180 feet, a height of two feet and five feet, and a width of one foot and three feet.

There are quite a few people inside, and the rooms are next to each other, so there is almost no free space.

The Zhou family is in the center of the city. It is a big house. In addition, the houses of the Zhou family are all nearby. It occupies half of the city and three streets.

The Zhou surname was moved from Fengyang. Because the emperor trusted his old family more, he moved some of the surname Zhou from his hometown to guard the tomb. Therefore, the Zhou surname is considered a prominent family in Xiaolingwei, with a very large population.

The hereditary hundred households of Zhou Baihusuo come from the Zhou surname family, which has been multiplying here for 200 years.

There are two stone lions in front of Zhou's house, the vermilion gate, and the shiny copper nails on the gate, just like a big house of a landlord.

Cousin Zhao Kang brought Yang Chao to the door of Zhu's house and sent him a greeting card for Yang Chao.

Soon a housekeeper came out to greet him. He was surprised when he saw that it was a brat, but he still politely invited him in.

Zhou Baihu is a middle-aged man in his forties. Although he holds the official title of Baihu, he has long since stopped leading soldiers.

The only ones who really lead the troops are those guarding officers who are in the imperial tomb and guarding the imperial tomb.

Zhou Baihu didn't have the slightest military aura on his body. He was wearing a silk gown and a Confucian scarf, more like an ordinary member.

"Your official has met Lord Baihu."

After Yang Chao saw Zhou Baihu in the living room, he took the initiative to bow to see him.

Zhou Baihu quickly stood up: "Don't you dare? You are the real-time general manager, and the old man is just a vain-job. How dare you worship me. Please sit down!"

Although the housekeeper said that Yang Chao was a young man, Zhou Baihu still did not expect Yang Chao to be so young.

Yang Chao studied since he was a child and never worked, so he looks fair-skinned and younger than his father.

Yang Chao sat down calmly, and at the same time pulled the reserved Zhao Kang to sit beside him.

The Zhou family has been dominating the Zhou family for hundreds of years, and the military households in the camp are afraid of seeing the Zhou family, let alone seeing the Baihu.

Moreover, the Zhou family is not only a hundred household officials in charge of these military households, but also a big landlord and a well-known rich man. His family's wine shop produces good wine every year for the big restaurants in the city, and its business is very big. .

A girl came up to watch tea, and Yang Chao chatted with Zhou Baihu while drinking tea.

After chatting about the official affairs in Nanjing, Yang Chao quickly frightened Zhou Baihu, because Yang Chao faintly revealed that he had relations with many important figures, and said that his official position was obtained through Caojiang Admiral Gu Zhaoji. , so that Zhou Baihu did not dare to underestimate him.

Only then did Yang Chao explain why he came here: "Lord Zhou, this junior took office not long ago, but unfortunately he was killed by the former commander who sailed a boat into the river to suppress the bandits. This junior doesn't have any soldiers in his hand now, so he should recruit a group of soldiers to fill the vacancies. Recruiting soldiers is everywhere. Recruiting soldiers, it just so happens that my mother was born in an expensive house, so the younger generation wants to take the children of our hundred households out, which is also a livelihood."

Zhou Baihu raised his eyebrows. He didn't expect Yang Chao to recruit soldiers, but he didn't think there was anything wrong with Yang Chao's words.

These days, you really don't have to worry about recruiting soldiers. As long as you are willing to raise them, you can have as many soldiers as you want. Even the imperial court can't support soldiers, let alone others.

Many officers raise soldiers either by deducting their salaries or by forcing them to work hard. Soldiers like that cannot stay under the command of such officers, so they naturally want to flee.

Therefore, to recruit and raise soldiers, the only condition is that you must have money.

Zhou Baihu looked at Yang Chao and found that he was well dressed, like a rich man, so he nodded.

"Master Yang wants to recruit soldiers in my office, and he can think of benefiting the children in his hometown. This is a good thing. This hundred households should be grateful. It's just that as an official of the hundred households, I have to think about the military households under control."

After pondering, Zhou Baihu finally got to the point: "I just don't know how much Master Yang plans to recruit? How much is the military salary?"

Yang Chao said with a smile: "Of course we can't lose out to the students in the institute. But these days, the top has deducted too much, and the military salary is in the hands of the officer, and there are not many of them. But they are all villagers, so they can't cut off the livelihood of the children. This official can only pay two denarii."

A monthly salary of two taels of silver a month, and two or four taels a year. In the army, food and housing are in charge, which is not bad.

It's just that there are very few ordinary battalion soldiers who can get such a military salary nowadays.

Zhou Baihu couldn't help but nodded, and said with a smile: "Since that's the case, I've approved it. Lord Yang, feel free to recruit people. All you need to do is to hand over the document of the Ministry of War."

Yang Chao said: "That's exactly what it should be. I also thank you sir. A small gift is not a respect!"

As Yang Chao said, he took out a red handkerchief from his pocket, and wrapped ten taels of silver in it.

Zhou Baihu nodded and waved his hand, the girl next to him took it and put it away.

Zhou Baihu smiled and said, "Master Yang, you are being polite. In fact, you are helping me when you come to recruit soldiers from me. When this hundred-household office was first built, there were less than 87 households, and only 200 households were registered. But in the past 500 years Situation, relying on the great blessing of the emperor, the descendants prosper, there are no less than a thousand households in the house now, and there are no less than four to five hundred people in the young and strong. This one wants to enter the imperial mausoleum to guard the mausoleum, and the other must go, all the folks in the village approve this Just push that, it is really difficult for me to do. Master Yang can recruit as many as he can, which can be regarded as helping the old man, let’s forget it this time, don’t give gifts next time, otherwise, I will be scolded by the old man.”

Probably because their own family is rich, so Zhou Baihu is not too greedy.

Yang Chao hastily said: "Master Zhou misunderstood. This ceremony is not for recruiting soldiers. It is the first time for the younger generation to go back to the camp after being promoted. The boss is from a hundred households and guards one guard house, just like the county magistrate. It's like guarding a county, and it's the official of the parents. This is just a little bit of the younger generation's filial piety to the elders."

Zhou Baihu also laughed and said, "I think so too, otherwise I would never accept it."

Yang Chao went on to say: "My lord, I still have a merciless request from this junior."

Zhou Baihu said: "Master Yang, please tell me."

Yang Chao said: "My younger cousin is an apprentice in the winery of your mansion, and I haven't seen my mother for a long time. It just so happens that the winery is busy, so I can't let you go. If it's inconvenient..."

That's all Yang Chao said, so I won't go on.

Zhou Baihu naturally understood and nodded: "It's a trivial matter, I waved to a young man and asked him to call someone in person."

Then continue to share the cup with Yang Chao.

Not long after, the eldest cousin Zhao An came in wearing a shabby linen dress, a short suit, trousers rolled up to his knees, and sleeves rolled up, as if he had just worked.

After being led all the way into the Zhou family hall by the servant, the smell of alcohol rose.

Yang Chao smiled and stood up: "Brother!"

Zhao An was taken aback: "Cousin."

He still doesn't know what his boss is calling him, usually this boss is extremely difficult to see, and he is worried that he has done something wrong and will be punished by his boss, but he doesn't want to see his cousin in Zhou's house.

Yang Chao stood up and didn't intend to sit down, and said directly to Zhou Baihu: "Master Zhou, please don't bother me, please leave!"

Zhou Baihu stood up and cupped his hands: "I'll see you off soon."

I didn't send them off myself, but I called the housekeeper to see them off.

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Today is three more, please collect, recommend tickets! ! !

(End of this chapter)